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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700697">Survive With Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoGameRoses/pseuds/VideoGameRoses'>VideoGameRoses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>resident evil 3 remake - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Infection, Its you running around trying to survive the horror, Survival, and most importantly there's some Carlos too, you also try to save some people on the way</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:49:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,768</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23700697</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoGameRoses/pseuds/VideoGameRoses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You are one of the unlucky ones. Uninfected yet trapped in the growing hellhole called Raccoon City. But you decide to stay home, thinking things might get better. You weren't sure how wrong you were until your neighbor showed up with a monstrous creature at her heels. The nightmare only becomes worse as you get separated and thrown into the zombie filled streets. Maybe, just maybe, someone is out there who can help you make it out of this alive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carlos Oliveira/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>177</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fires burned bright somewhere down the street, reflecting perfectly off the fourth story window. Though dark outside, the flames cast red and orange glows that danced around your apartment. Maybe if the situation were different, you would have thought it pretty. But you knew better.</p><p>Outside of your apartment, people were dying. Getting infected. Eating other people. Raccoon City wasn't a safe place. It wasn't your home. Not anymore. It was just a city filled with undead zombies who wanted to eat you alive. Fear kept you inside, waiting and watching. A better day might come and everything would be okay again. But the moaning and scratching on the walls of the neighbors of either side of you kept that dream what it was - a dream.</p><p>Somewhere deep inside, you knew that this would only get worse. The nightmare would only become more violent, more unforgiving.  </p><p>Maybe you'd be better off just staying in your apartment. Here, no zombie could eat you. No one could hurt you.</p><p>Yeah, that was a good idea. Stay home equaled stay safe.</p><p>With your fear temporarily soothed, you got up from your place on the bed and began to walk to your kitchen that was connected to the bedroom.</p><p>Some hot chocolate would make you feel even better, maybe help you forget what was going on out there for a while. </p><p>You had just opened the fridge to grab some milk when something exploded outside of your apartment.</p><p>The floors rumbled and the walls shook. You grabbed a hold of the fridge to keep steady as your heart began to pound in your chest.</p><p>What the fuck was that?</p><p>The fridge was long forgotten as you eyed the front door just a couple of steps away.</p><p>A horrible, nauseating sensation began to curl the pit of your stomach. You couldn't hear anything except the sound of blood rushing in your ears as you watched the door. </p><p>Another crash sounded right outside your apartment, sending you into a corner of the kitchen with bated breath.</p><p>Suddenly, the front door crashed open as your neighbor down the hall busted into your apartment. </p><p>She slammed the door shut before shoving the antique cabinet next to her across the grainy wood. Strands of short, dark hair fell around her pale face as her head fell forward with relief.</p><p>You didn't really know her besides the occasionally greeting when passing each other in the hallway but you knew enough that you could see when something was wrong.<br/>  <br/>"Jill?" You questioned, voice trembling.</p><p>Immediately, she whirled around with her eyes locked on you. Panic bloomed within the blue hues as she limped over, wrapping a hand around your wrist and dragging you to the window.</p><p>"No time to explain. We have to go!"</p><p>The fear in her voice sent chills down your spine. But you barely had time to think about it, being jerked through the window and down the fire escape.</p><p>Outside, the cool fall air was replaced by burning heat as fires burned buildings down, consuming them completely. Screams rang loud and clear as people fled down the streets. Cars were flipped over and there were several bodies laid out on the black tar. Across the way, a man on the other fire escape was hanging over the railing, trying desperately to pull himself up.  At the last second, his fingers slipped and he began to fall. Just before Jill pulled you into the window, you caught the look on his face.</p><p>Shock. Anguish. Horror. Fear.</p><p>Then, you were standing in an unfinished apartment with fear running rampant through your body. Short, hurried breathes came out in little spurts as you began to panic.</p><p>Jill sent you the most reassuring glance she could manage with pain written across her face.</p><p>"It'll be fine. I promise it'll be fine. Just keep going."</p><p>You nodded but her words didn't bring any comfort. </p><p>She released you to walk further into the apartment when the roof exploded. Pieces of plaster and rubble rained down as you and Jill stumbled back. When the dust cleared, something that wasn't human stomped towards the both of you.</p><p>The creature had to at least be over eight feet tall. Wrapped from head to toe in black caution tape, it was the most terrifying thing you'd ever seen. A low rumbled growl left from where you assumed its mouth was and it swung a large arm towards the both of you.</p><p>Jill shoved you in front of her, making you lose balance and crash to the ground in front of a tiny crawl space.</p><p>"Go!" She shouted at you, dodging the hit from the creature.</p><p>Your body reacted before your brain could and you scrambled to crawl between the space, pushing yourself to your feet when you were on the other side.</p><p>A fire roared in front of you, quickly eating away at the walls and floor of the complex. Smoke, heavy and thick, invaded your lungs causing you to cough and hack but you ignored it as best you could, turning back.</p><p>Crouching, you reached out one of your hands to help Jill through. She saw your hand and raised her own out to grab it when something wrapped around her ankle, tugging her back. She cried out, pain ringing through her voice.</p><p>Desperately, you looked around for something, anything, when you spotted a piece of cement sharpened to a point on the end.</p><p>"Here!" You said as you grasped it, sliding the makeshift knife to her.</p><p>She looked up in time to grab it, twisting back to stab at whatever was dragging her away. Something that looked suspiciously like a tentacle jerked away from her ankle and out of the crawl space.</p><p>Jill turned back, grasping the hand you had held out and using it to pull herself up.</p><p>"Are you okay? What the hell is that thing?"</p><p>You did nothing to try and hide the terror in your voice.</p><p>Jill grabbed your wrist again, sprinting away from the door.</p><p>"I don't know! That doesn't matter right now. What matters is we get out. Got it?"</p><p>You nodded, keeping quiet and allowing her to lead you towards one of the exit doors. Just as you were a few steps away, a fire burning at one of the apartment doors exploded, sending you and Jill through the door into a metal railing outside.</p><p>Hot pain ran through your stomach and sent needle-like tingles of hurt through your body. Groaning, you pulled your body away and held a hand to your abdomen.</p><p>On to side of you, Jill had already recovered much more quickly though you could tell she was hurting a lot more than you were. Worry marred your brow but you didn't say anything as she walked by you to continue down the stairs. You followed after, tense and nervous.</p><p>The metal creaked underneath your sneakers as the both of you descended another level, trekking closer and closer to the last level of the complex. At the end of the fire escape was a bright yellow ladder leading down to an alleyway. Jill gestured for you to move past her. You threw an uncertain look her way before moving towards it and kicking it down.</p><p>It clanked loudly, echoing across the alleyway as it made contact with the ground below. Another second later and you were descending down the rungs.</p><p>You were only a few steps from the bottom when something boomed above you. Pieces of brick rained down and drummed against the road below.</p><p>"Jill!" You cried out.</p><p>The only response you could hear from her was a muffled shout.</p><p>Fear rooted you to the spot, unsure whether you should continue down or not. Your heartbeat pounded in your ears. A heavy weight crushed your chest and made it harder to breathe.</p><p>You couldn't leave Jill if she was in trouble. But what were you going to do if that thing was up there? What were you supposed to do against it?</p><p>Shit, you were going to die. Some zombie was going to jump you and eat the flesh from your body and you would be watching as they chewed their way to your organs and-</p><p>No! Jill didn't drag you out of that apartment for you to sit on a ladder of a fire escape panicking. You had to go. </p><p>Besides, she seemed like she could handle her own. From the glance you caught of the badge on her waist, it seemed like she was a cop. And if that was true, her training would save her.</p><p>With one last regretful glance toward the fire escape and a mumbled sorry, you climbed the rest of the way down, running into the street.</p><p>As soon as your feet touched the road, people shoved you from both sides as they rushed toward the safety of anything they could get their hands on. Others pounded on the windows of shops as zombies reared back and bit into their flesh, flinging blood onto the glass. In the distance, barks echoed off the alleyways along with high pitched screams.</p><p>Everything was going to hell. Whatever was happening was destroying what was left of the city and causing a pandemic to the ones who were still alive. Like some extremely messed up version of a horror movie. And you were right in the middle of it.</p><p>Swallowing hard, you pushed through in the direction of the police department. Maybe there you could find some help and safety?</p><p>Whatever the case, you just hoped you could find Jill again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The further along you walked to the police department, the quieter the streets became.</p><p>There were no people running around. No screams or cries, just eerie silence. Something that left a sour taste in your mouth.</p><p>You ignored it, continuing down the street. But the one thing you couldn't ignore was the chill that ran down your spine at seeing all the dead bodies lying around. </p><p>It seemed like at this point there more people dead than alive. A fact that made your heart ache.</p><p>There were so many people dead and no one really understood what was happening. There was no sense to the madness. It just was.</p><p>You sighed. Wondering about it now wouldn't help you find Jill and it certainly wouldn't keep you safe.</p><p>Time to focus.</p><p>Your gaze searched the horizon, looking for something that could help you make it to the R.P.D faster. In the distance, you saw a familiar building. The sign was broken and some of the letters were missing but you'd know it anywhere.</p><p>Downtown Food Mart.</p><p>You used to go there all the time to buy groceries. It was one of the only places you didn't mind going so much. You knew for a fact that the back entrance could shortcut your way by a couple of minutes.</p><p>You quickly made your way to the store.</p><p>When the automatic doors creaked open, you stepped inside and waited for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Soon, the faint outlines became shapes.</p><p>Shelves were knocked over, spilling chip bags and canned food onto the ground. Dented soda cans knocked against your shoes as you picked your way through the mess. On the glass doors of the freezers, red handprints lined the handles and walls beside them.</p><p>You didn't want to think about what had happened for those to be there. Instead, you focused on making your way to the back of the store.</p><p>A few bodies in store uniforms laid on the floor. Some behind the counters, others in the isles. You tried your best not to disturb them. You were just a few steps to the door when low moans broke the quiet air. Slowly, you peeked behind you and felt your heart drop.</p><p>Three zombies were peeling their decrepit bodies off the floor and lumbering your way. In the front was what used to be a teenage girl who you'd seen before.</p><p>Lea.</p><p>Back before all of this, you'd see her working in the store on the weekends. She was always polite while ringing up your groceries, even going as far as to laugh and joke with you. You remembered the last time you'd seen her just a few weeks ago. She'd been telling you how excited she was to finally get her license and now, she was one of those things.</p><p>Her eyes were milky and opaque, unfocused. Limp strands of magenta hair fell around her face, catching on the blood staining her cheeks and mouth. When she raised a slender hand up, you could see the red liquid caked on the tips of her fingers, along with bits and pieces of other things you suspected were intestines. But most of the blood was centered around the junction between her neck and shoulders. A festering bite wound marred the skin, showing dead tendons and muscles and tissue. </p><p>Something within in you cracked like fragile glass at seeing someone so young turned one of those things. Even more so that it was someone you knew. You wanted to cry in devastation but you couldn't stay there forever. The zombies were approaching closer and closer and you needed to get out.</p><p>You pushed everything to the back of your mind, rushing  to the door.</p><p>The unearthly moans trailing from Lea's mouth became screeches as she lurched forward to grab at you. You managed to shut the heavy door on her in time. Heavy thumps banged against the door as she screamed and screeched.</p><p>Your chest rose and fell with heavy breathes, the image of Lea's face kept haunting your mind. The smiling bright teenager you knew was replaced with a groaning, decayed undead monster that was trying to eat you.</p><p>Your forehead thunked against the metal door as the center of your chest twisted into knots. It became hard to choke in air. Your fingertips slowly began to numb and a coldness spread through your body like shards of ice.</p><p>Tears, hot like fire, ran down your cheeks in burning rivers of heat. A raspy sob escaped your throat as the world around you blurred into in a watery haze.</p><p>Everything you'd ever known was destroyed. Everyone you knew was probably dead. Not to mention, you were alone, afraid, and probably having a full-blown panic attack.</p><p>If only you'd stayed at home, the irrational part of your brain argued. But you knew if you'd stayed in that apartment, you would have burned to death or been killed by that creature.</p><p>That didn't make it any easier to bare the weight of fear and guilt weighing down your heart and mind.</p><p>It was a while before your tears dried up into swollen eyes and a snotty nose. And even then, your breathing was still uneven and there was a faint pounding in the back of your head. But it was time to leave. So you forced yourself to move away from the door.</p><p>Police station. Get to the police station. </p><p>Slowly, you trudged out into the street. </p><p>Picking through the rubble, overturned cars, and bodies, you headed in the direction you thought you remembered the station was in. Luckily enough, there were no crowds of zombies waiting around for a fresh body to chow down on. The only unfortunate thing was that halfway through the road became blocked with abandoned cars and raging fires. Detour it was then.</p><p>You glanced around, looking for another way when you saw an alleyway off to the side. Sure it was dark and looked absolutely terrifying to walk through, but it was the only way. Taking in a deep breath, you surged forward. </p><p>Whatever light the fires on the street provided was soon lost. Shadows darkened the narrow alley and there were no street lights to help you navigate the small space. You picked your way through, keeping an ear out for anything that might sneak up on you. Every inch of your body was coiled to bolt at a moment's notice.</p><p>Nothing stopped you though. The alley twisted left and right and left again before spitting you back out onto a street. You paused, trying to regain your bearings when a howl shattered the air.</p><p>Slowly, your head cocked up the side and your heart stopped.</p><p>On a fence to your right, a growling dog paced back and forth. At first, you assumed it was a normal dog, but when the light hit it the right way you knew it wasn't.</p><p>Spots of fur were missing from its body, showing rotted flesh with dark red blood and puss oozing from the patches. In between razor-sharp teeth were pieces of flesh. It's dead dark eyes zeroed in on you as a snarl rumbled from its torn, fleshy muzzle.</p><p>You nearly shit yourself as the dog jumped up on the gate, biting at the metal fence and barking. In another second, a few more joined the first and they all began clawing at the fence.</p><p>The metal squeaked and screeched as it began to lean, giving way to the zombie dogs weight.</p><p>Your eyes widened when you realized that it wouldn't take much more to bring it down.</p><p>That thought sent you sprinting down the street with your heart jumping in your throat. </p><p>Loud howls echoed around you as something crashed to the ground with a loud boom. Scattered barks cracked the still night air before the pounding of claws against the ground picked up behind you.</p><p>Fuck!</p><p>You pushed yourself further as absolute, consuming terror coursed through your veins. Tears welled up in your eyes again, nearly blinding your vision.</p><p>Just keep running. Just keep running!</p><p>The mantra repeated in your head but the dogs were getting close, you could hear it. </p><p>Scraping nails and viscous baying rang extremely close to you. You decided to peak over your shoulder.</p><p>Big mistake.</p><p>The dead dogs were nearly upon you. They were so close you could smell the rotten flesh drifting off their carcasses. Blood and flesh dripped from the needle point teeth in their mouth.</p><p>Immediately you turned around, searching for anything that could possibly save you from them.</p><p>Very fortunate for you, you spotted the police department peaking through a cluster of trees and other buildings. The huge brick museum turned police station reaching into the sky looked like an absolute blessing. Now all you had to do was just make it.</p><p>You pushed yourself harder though your legs were already complaining. Heavy pants left your mouth as the slap of your shoes on the pavement became harder and harder.</p><p>With one last sprint, you reached a side gate, opening it and shutting it. Quickly, you locked it as the dogs slammed up against it. It strained but didn't budge.</p><p>The undead mutts glared at you, drool dripping from their mouths. They paced, teeth clacking together as the occasionally one slammed into the gated door. When they realized it wasn't going to budge, they all gave haunting howls before disappearing into the shadows.</p><p>Your chest heaved as you leaned over and gave a choked sob.</p><p>Too close, that was too close.</p><p>Though you were afraid, you were proud of yourself. You made it and you didn't get eaten. Now all you had to do was find someone to help. That shouldn't be too hard, right?</p><p>You straightened, wiping your eyes, and turned to walk towards the front door. When you reached it, you paused momentarily.</p><p>What if it wasn't safe in there? What if there was no one to help you?</p><p>No what if's, this had to work.</p><p>With a deep sigh out, you pushed the double wood doors open and went in.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Okay so I forgot to put this in my excitement to post this chapter but I want to thank everybody for all the love this story has received. It makes me super happy inside and keeps me motivated to keep writing it. Thank you all so so very much!!!!! 💖 Until next time ;)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was absolutely huge.</p><p>The main room alone could dwarf the whole floor of your apartment. (And you're pretty sure if you were to yell, you could hear the echo for a good five minutes.)</p><p>A beautiful statue stood in the middle of the room beside two descending staircases. Her marble face was serene as her closed eyes displayed a peacefulness that was a harsh contrast of everything around her.</p><p>Several supplies, new and used, littered the floors and corners. Bloodstained rugs drooped off of gurneys stained red and brown. Shelves were stocked with food and water for a hundred or more people but the station was as empty as a ghost town.</p><p>"Hello?" You said, stepping up to the front desk. A bunch of papers and books littered the surface and behind the desk, there was a computer set up on a table. Wow, if books could help, you'd be set for life.</p><p>Great.</p><p>You stepped away from the front desk, turning to your left.</p><p>An open doorway.</p><p>Rows of seats lay scattered in front of a row of glass windows. A board tacked with papers sat beyond that and you assumed that it was a waiting room. Maybe someone was that way?</p><p>Hesitant steps took you in the room and around the board to another door. Slowly, you turned the knob and pushed the door open. A dark hallway with flickering lights at the end greeted you. You started to walk in when something crashed outside. Shouting ensued and the sound of a door slamming open startled you.</p><p>Short, rapid breaths escaped your mouth as your whole body went still. Your mind raced a mile a minute as you decided whether or not to bolt. But your fight or flight response took too long because a shuffling noise sounded in the room you were in. Metallic screeching broke your trance and you bolted down the hallway.</p><p>When you turned the corner, you sprinted down another hall and collided into someone. A muffled noise of pain let your mouth as you fell back onto your butt. You groaned and looked up.</p><p>Across from you was a police officer and behind him was another one who was giving you an incredulous look. You returned it as the fallen officer got to his feet.</p><p>"Tom, I thought you said there weren't any more survivors," The officer staring at you mumbled out.</p><p>Tom, who was brushing off his shirt, finally looked up at you and paused, his mouth dropping open. He shook his head and stepped over, offering you a hand. For a few moments, you looked between him and his hand before grasping it and pulling yourself up.</p><p>"Sorry for saying this but where the hell did you come from?" He asked once you were standing.</p><p>You swallowed the lump in your throat and answered, "I walked here. My apartment burned down and I didn't know where else to go so I thought I'd come here. I thought it was safe."</p><p>The other officer laughed bitterly.</p><p>"Safe? This place isn't safe. Pretty fucking far from it."</p><p>You gaped at him like a fish. The terror on your face must have been apparent because Tom elbowed the officer hard with a glare.</p><p>"What the fuck man? I'm not lying!" The other guy spat out.</p><p>"You didn't have to say it like that, Henry!"</p><p>With one last glare towards his partner, Tom turned to you with a sympathetic gaze.</p><p>"He's right, it isn't safe here. But we'll do our best to help you. Just follow-"</p><p>He was cut off by a loud animalistic screech. The noise sent fear prickling down your whole body and churned your stomach sourly.</p><p>"What was that?" You whispered, looking between the two with wide eyes.</p><p>"Just get behind me!" Tom murmured back, sliding a gun from its on a holster at his side.</p><p>You did as he said, cowering behind them as you watched the shadows anxiously. Seconds passed with no sign of anything coming and then suddenly, a single clawed limb stepped from the shadows on the ceiling. Immediately, Tom and Henry began shooting at it but it only served to make whatever it was mad.</p><p>With another shriek, the creature stepped fully from the shadows upside down. It scurried along the roof and sprinted toward the three of you. Your eyes widened in horror as you caught a glimpse of it in the poor lighting.</p><p>It was like something out of a horror movie. Pink flesh was stretched over a gangly, thin body. Wickedly sharp long claws extended from what wasn't quite hands but not paws either. And instead of having a normal head, it had a brain covering the top section and where its eyes should have been.</p><p>You couldn't move, couldn't speak. Tom turned to you.</p><p>"Move! Get out!"</p><p>But you couldn't. You could only watch as the creature perked up at the sound of his voice and made a beeline for him, opening its mouth and unleashing a long tongue. In one quick movement, it whipped out and hit Tom in the face.</p><p>Blood splattered on to you as Tom landed against the wall with a heavy thud, his jaw swinging loosely from his face. Henry's eyes widened as he moved to run, but the creature heard him and unleashed its tongue again. This time, it stabbed Henry through the chest before whipping him back and slinging him, face first, into a broken pipe.</p><p>A squishing noise sounded as the pipe pierced his skin and exited through his mouth. Rivers of blood ran down his face and mangled mouth onto his uniform, staining it red.</p><p>Hissing broke the silent air and you looked at the creature as the tongue retreated back to its mouth. It went still a moment and cocked its brain head as if listening. When it heard nothing else, a soft growl left its mouth and scurried back into the shadows away from you.</p><p>Your bottom lip trembled as tears rushed to your eyes.</p><p>They were dead. They were both dead and you watched. You could feel Tom's blood on your face and when you looked between the two of them, a nauseating feeling entered the pit of your stomach. Bile edged up your throat and you couldn't help but kneel over, vomiting everything in your stomach.</p><p>Faintly, you heard the door creak open and footsteps ran over to you. Moments later, a hand gently touched your back and a voice said, "Hey, easy, it's okay."</p><p>When you were done, you used the sleeve of your sweater to wipe your mouth and straightened. Through your blurry vision, you caught a glance of whoever it was that found you.</p><p>He had a head full of thick, messy, dark hair that hung into equally dark eyes. Though it was extremely stupid to be thinking at the moment, you couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. From his smooth caramel skin right down to the cleft chin hidden in dark stubble. Though, right now his handsome features were scrunched in worry as he looked over you.</p><p>"I....it just.... they were..... and it..." You stuttered helplessly as more tears filled your eyes.</p><p>You choked on a sob as you broke completely and utterly. Ugly cries left your mouth as your legs collapsed from underneath you.</p><p>The man caught you, shouldering your weight as you buried your face into his chest.</p><p>You couldn't save them. You couldn't do anything but watch as they died in front of you. What a fucking coward you were.</p><p>First Jill and now this.</p><p><em>It should have been you</em>, a voice in your mind whispered.</p><p>You couldn't argue against it. It really should have been you. Tom had offered to keep you safe and you repaid him by watching him die. You didn't deserve to be alive. You should have died too!</p><p>You couldn't breathe. Why couldn't you breathe? You tried to suck in air but you couldn't, not with how bad you were crying. You gasped pathetically between whimpers.</p><p>Upon hearing your desperate attempt to breathe, the man pulled you away from him, keeping his hands locked on your shoulders. He looked into your eyes.</p><p>"It's okay. You're okay. Breathe with me."</p><p>He breathed in deeply and released it, repeating it for you to see.</p><p>Slowly, you tried to follow his example. It took you a few minutes but eventually, you calmed down enough to breathe properly.</p><p>"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He soothed.</p><p>You shook your head, silent.</p><p>The man flashed you a brief smile before letting go of you to search his pockets. After a moment or so, he found what he was looking for and pulled a rag out.</p><p>"Now, let's get this shit off your face," He said, taking the rag and gently scrubbing at your face.</p><p>You let him as tears absentmindedly dripped from your eyes. When he was done, he pulled back and shoved he rag back into his pocket.</p><p>"That's better. The names Carlos and you?"</p><p>You told him in a quiet hoarse voice.</p><p>"Pretty name for a pretty girl," He replied with a smile.</p><p>The corners of your mouth quirked up but you didn't have the strength to smile at him. He seemed to find the response good enough though and pressed a finger to his left ear, speaking into what you guessed was a headset.</p><p>"Hey Tee, I got a civilian here. I'm gonna bring her to you."</p><p>You missed whatever response was said next because your heart jerked in panic. You didn't want to go with anyone else right now. Sure he was a perfect stranger but right now he was all you had and you didn't wanna leave him.</p><p>"No! Please no! Don't make me go!" You blurted, a fresh wave of tears entering your eyes.</p><p>He startled before his eyes widened and he stepped toward you again.</p><p>"Hey, I won't make you go anywhere, okay?"</p><p>You calmed down a little but your heart was still pounding and anxiety was still coursing through your body.</p><p>"Let's make a deal, alright?" His voice cut through your panic-filled haze.</p><p>You perked up, sniffling.</p><p>"You can stay with me but you gotta do what I say."</p><p>You nodded quickly.</p><p>"Alright. Come on then," He said, gesturing for you to follow.</p><p>He took a gun off his back and situated it back into his hands. You waited for him to pass and immediately stuck to his back like glue.</p><p>With that, the two of you transversed further into the hallway.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Carlos led you down the hall and around another corner. You didn't move an inch from his side, watching the shadows uneasily. With everything that had happened, you weren't about to take any chances. So when you heard a low moan, it didn't surprise you to see the lone zombie stumbling towards the both of you.</p><p>"Stay behind me," Carlos demanded, keeping his eyes on the undead thing.</p><p>You peeked around him, watching as he raised up the long barrel of his assault rifle (you weren't really sure if it was but you were assuming) and fired. The bullets lodged themselves into the zombie's shoulder and torso. Its body slung back but didn't fall, ignoring the slugs being thrown at it and walking towards the both of you with gnashing teeth and raised arms.</p><p>Carlos grunted and aimed the gun higher, shooting again.</p><p>That time it did the trick.</p><p>All the bullets ripped through the zombie's head, tearing at the flesh and brain. It stuttered to a pause before collapsing to its knees and then its face.</p><p>Carlos lowered his gun and eyed you over one broad shoulder.</p><p>"You okay?"</p><p>You nodded, unable to speak still.</p><p>He turned back and pressed forward with you following behind him.</p><p>The hallway made another sharp turn at a window.</p><p>Just before you passed it completely, something skittered across the glass, scaring the shit out of you and startling Carlos.</p><p>"What the fuck was that?" He murmured, keeping his eyes on the window for a few extra seconds.</p><p>You had a faint idea but you really, really hoped you were wrong. Your heart began to thump painfully hard in your chest as you turned the corner.</p><p>More low groans broke the silent air as a zombie crawled through a window and a few more burst through a set of double doors to your right.</p><p>You backed away, the familiar feeling of fear creeping up into your mind. But unlike you, Carlos didn't hesitate. He raised his gun and began dispatching the decaying creatures with deadly accuracy.</p><p>Eyes squeezing shut, you tried to pretend that you weren't in the middle of the police station. That you couldn't hear the dying moans and high pitched screeches paired with the squishing noise of rotting bodies collapsing to the ground.</p><p>Something touched your shoulder and you nearly jumped out of your skin. Your eyes flew open to see Carlos staring at you with a concerned frown.</p><p>"You sure you're alright?"</p><p>Despite the way your body had tensed up and the faint trembling of your hands, you nodded. You didn't want to be the reason he couldn't fulfill whatever mission he had been sent to do.</p><p>He gave you a dubious glance, clearly not believing you.</p><p>"I'm fine, I promise," You whispered hoarsely, managing a small smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.</p><p>His lips tightened into a frown but he turned back around, rifle raised and eyes alert. Slowly, very slowly, Carlos pushed open the double doors and went in. He kept his finger on the trigger as he looked around the room, clearing it.</p><p>When he found nothing, he stood up straight, gesturing for you to follow.</p><p>The room looked like it had been set up to be a meeting room.</p><p>Chairs cluttered a good amount of the space and tables were pushed together haphazardly. A chalkboard on the other side of the room had several things scribbled on the surface including a list of names that were all crossed out. Above it was the word survivors. Next to it in big letters was written <em>everyone is dead.</em></p><p>That was why Henry and Tom had looked at you in disbelief. It also explained why the police department was empty. Because everyone who had been there was now nothing more than a bunch of corpses stumbling around looking for their next meal.</p><p>You squeezed your eyes shut, ignoring the sting of fresh tears and pushed the new information to the back of your mind. With a slow breath out, you opened your eyes again and walked forward, keeping your eyes on Carlo's back.</p><p>He led you to another door, making sure there was no zombie before walking in. When the door shut behind you, he put two fingers to the device on his ear you assumed was a connected to a radio.</p><p>"T, you copy? There's something real nasty in here and I don't know what it is."</p><p>He paused listening to whoever was talking on the other end. When they finished, he gave a curt nod and pushed forward.</p><p>The minute Carlos opened the door, a chorus of groans sounded all around you. Four or five zombies lumbered your way, dead eyes alight with hunger. Carlos moved forward with you shadowing him.</p><p>Bullets rang out and you could hear the clink of bullet casings hitting the floor. The wails and screams began to mix together again but you tried to hold it together. You couldn't be a burden to Carlos. You just couldn't.</p><p>With that decision cemented in your mind, you tried your best to stay out of the way. When he moved one way, you moved the same way. If he took a step back so did you. It worked well enough and before you knew it, all the zombies were laying still of the floor with growing black blood pools underneath them.</p><p>As you moved away from them, glass and plastic from a nearby busted vending machine crunched beneath your feet as you and Carlos walked to the door marked safety deposit room. Carlos put one gloved hand on the doorknob to push it open the but it didn't budge, unrelenting.</p><p>"Shit. Locked," he hissed under his breath before backing up and turning to look at the door across from it.</p><p>The writing on the glass window was faint but you could still see that it read west office room.</p><p>Carlos pushed the door open and you both walked in.</p><p>Oak desks clashed against each other. Papers and files were scattered everywhere with tiny spots of red staining the sheets. Spilled pens, pencils, and sticky notes littered the floor. The unique knick-knacks lining each desktop made your heart ache sadly.</p><p>At one point, this place was filled with life. You could almost imagine every cop who worked in this office, bustling around. Eating at their desk as they looked over files and drinking cups of hot coffee late at night. Laughing and joking with each other.</p><p>And now it was like this.</p><p>When your eyes caught sight of a blue welcome sign hovering from the ceiling, it felt like someone was squeezing your heart.</p><p>You stepped around the mess of desks, peering up at the banner more intently. Moments later, Carlos joined you.</p><p>"Yeah, welcome Leon," he said when he saw the banner. "Bet you had a kickass first day."</p><p>Briefly, you wondered if Leon was one of the undead wandering the police station. But you crushed that thought almost as fast as it entered your mind. You didn't want to know.</p><p>Carlos stood, looking for a moment longer before moving on to search the rest of the office. You followed after, staying out of the way.</p><p>Before he left the room completely, Carlos spied something on one of the desks, stopping and bending his head over to read an open file. His hair flopped forward into his eyes and you wondered how he could see. But if you were being honest, it just accentuated his features more.</p><p>Not the time, you scolded your brain.</p><p>You needed to survive and stay out of the way, not drool after Carlos.</p><p>"Alright, looks like we need to get in the safety deposit room, but it's locked," He stated, standing straight.</p><p>"Maybe there's a key around here somewhere?" You offered quietly.</p><p>Carlos nodded.</p><p>"Good idea, let's go find it."</p><p>Once more, Carlos readied up his gun, leaving first and making sure you were following him.</p><p>When you were right behind him, Carlos took you down a short hallway that led to a staircase in front and a door to the right. Carlos moved towards the door but something in your gut told you to go up the staircase first.</p><p>"Let's go this way." You pointed toward the staircase.</p><p>Carlos paused with his hand on the doorknob. His eyes glittered curiously as he looked between you and the staircase.</p><p>"Why the stairs first?"</p><p>Sheepishly, you ducked your head, playing with the lavender thread of your sleeves. It was going to sound stupid but you said it anyway.</p><p>"I uh, I just had a hunch. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not, but it wouldn't hurt to try."</p><p>You took quick peeks from your eyelashes to see if he was looking at you like you were crazy.</p><p>His face transitioned into one of thoughtfulness before moving away and back to you.</p><p>"Alright. If you've got a hunch, we'll listen."</p><p>A small amount of pride filled your chest along with warmth at the fact he listened to you. If the zombie apocalypse wasn't happening, you'd be jumping for joy.</p><p>Carefully and warily, you both ascended the steps. Upon reaching the second floor, Carlos's radio crackled and he stopped to listen.</p><p>A voice buzzed over the line and he gave a short reply of, "Copy that."</p><p>He proceeded further into a hallway that lead to a blockade of chairs and lockers. Though you knew better than to separate, you kept going to the level above.</p><p>At the top level, you spotted something atop a few plastic-wrapped boxes. Curiosity pushed you to walk closer. It was a key, you realized when you were a few steps from the boxes. Maybe it was for the door downstairs? You grabbed it anyway, cold metal biting into your palm.</p><p>There was a loud call of your name and you remembered Carlos.</p><p>Quickly, you trotted down the stairs and almost ran right into him. Desperation was etched into his face but when he saw you, it eased into relief.</p><p>"Hey! Are you okay? Where were you?" He asked, tone heavy with worry.</p><p>You felt bad now. You didn't want Carlos to worry over you. You didn't want to be a burden but that was exactly what you were doing.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I just went up the stairs. Here. I found a key."</p><p>You held your hand out, palm up with the key shining in the dull light.</p><p>You couldn't really tell but he looked impressed. Carlos grabbed the key from your hand, fingers brushing against your skin.</p><p>"Nice!  Now let's go open that door."</p><p>Both of you descended down the stairs and walked back down the hallway. It seemed like it was going to be quiet on the way back but as soon as you turned the corner, the thing from earlier dropped from the ceiling.</p><p>A low, growling hiss broke the air as its lean body tensed for a fight, long tongue lolling out of its mouth.</p><p>"There you are dickface!" Carlos snarled, readying up his weapon.</p><p>Then to you, he said, "Go! Get somewhere safe." And then he was shooting at the creature. You didn't hesitate to follow his words, turning and bolting back down the hallway. In between glances over your shoulder, you saw what happened.</p><p>The grotesque looking creature gave a screech at the noise of Carlos's gun and rushed towards him, leaping forward and jumping on him. Carlos crashed to the floor with a pained grunt with the thing on top of him.</p><p>
  <b>NO!</b>
</p><p>Immediately, adrenaline immediately kicked in and you turned, sprinting back. The closer you got, you saw a plastic piece of the vending machine big enough to use as a weapon. Quickly, when you were close enough, you picked it up and sprinted towards them.</p><p>The creature had one clawed limb hooked around his vest and the other raised high, ready to strike down Carlos beneath it.</p><p>Fear and rage fueled you to run faster, gripping the plastic shard tightly. When you reached them, you swung the shard and buried it in the gooey flesh of its brain head. Blood spurted from the wound as it screamed in pain and flayed around, knocking you back hard with one of its front limbs.</p><p>You fell back on the floor, groaning in pain. Throbbing aches tore through your chest and stomach where it hit you, complaining viciously but you ignored it. You pushed yourself to get up and run back, jumping on its back.</p><p>The creature bucked and tried to use its long, slimy-looking tongue to reach you.</p><p>Every inch of your body screamed for you to run, to get away or you'd end up like Tom and Henry. But despite how afraid you were, you weren't letting Carlos die. Not today. That gave you enough courage to grab a hold of the plastic, yank it out, and plunge it right back into the red, mushy mess of its head. And you didn't stop until the shard was almost entirely buried into the soft pink flesh.</p><p>It gave a loud, dying shriek and threw you off, wiggling a few seconds before hitting the floor and going still afterward. Carlos stood from his place on the floor, moving over to shoot it a couple of times. When it didn't get up, he walked towards you.</p><p>The anger and disappointment were already brewing on his face. As he helped you up, he said, "I told you to stay back. You could have been killed!"</p><p>"I couldn't let someone else who was trying to save my life die. I couldn't stand by and watch, not again," You shot back.</p><p>There was no anger in your words. Just truth and exhaustion and determination.</p><p>Carlos softened, placing a hand on your shoulder.</p><p>"Don't worry about me, alright? I can handle myself. But uh, thanks for the save."</p><p>He winked at you, patting your shoulder before brushing by you to get to the safety deposit door.</p><p>A light, fuzzy feeling warmed your chest and if you hadn't been so tired, you would have smiled. Instead, you followed after Carlos as he used the key to unlock the door and push it open, walking inside first. When he moved out of the way, you could see in.</p><p>Two sets of lockers pressed up against each other. A keypad was pushed up against the front of the metal lockers. Red lights set beside each locker told you that the keypad was probably the only way to open them. But the moment you tried to take a step in the door to look more closely, a wave of exhaustion hit you. Your hands grasped at the door frame to keep your balance.</p><p>You hadn't thought about it but you had been running on nothing but fear, fumes, and adrenaline. Now, it seemed like your body was demanding rest.</p><p>Carlos's footsteps echoed around the small room as he walked toward you. He came around your right side with worry weighing down his brow.</p><p>"Hey, how about we take a break? You look like you need it."</p><p>You swallowed hard. Your mind was conflicted. On one hand, rest would benefit you greatly but..... his mission. You couldn't be the reason he couldn't do it. You just couldn't be a burden to him. Seeming to sense your uncertainty, Carlos added, "Dr. Bard can wait for a few minutes. Besides, even a strong guy like me needs a few minutes of rest."</p><p>He flashed a smile at you and you knew he was just saying it to make you feel better, but you couldn't help the small smile growing on your face.</p><p>"Thank you, Carlos," You mumbled.</p><p>A grin brightened his attractive features and his dark eyes sparkled with warmth.</p><p>"No problem. Now you just rest and let ol' Carlos keep watch."</p><p>With a final nod towards Carlos, you found a spot on the other side of the lockers and sat down. It didn't take long for your eyelids shut and for you to drift off.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It only felt like a few minutes before you were being woken up again. Your eyes peeled themselves open and you blinked a few times to clear your vision.</p><p>Carlos stood above you with an apologetic smile, hair falling in his eyes again.</p><p>"Sorry, but it's time to go."</p><p>With a yawn, you stood and stretched, feeling your bones pop and crack. Your body felt refreshed. The nap had rejuvenated your mind and helped you think more clearly. It hadn't fully ridden you of the underlying anxiety but it had toned it down quite a bit. You could deal with that.</p><p>"Thank you for letting me rest. I appreciate it," You spoke with a tiny smile on your face.</p><p>Carlos grinned at you.</p><p>"No problem. You ready?"</p><p>You nodded your head and he took the cue to ready up himself.</p><p>He checked his assault rifle, and then a little pistol at his side before edging toward the safety deposit room door. As he opened the door, you caught a glance of some open lockers. You guessed he probably opened them while you slept. But the question of the contents was left unanswered as Carlos called out for you, gesturing for you to follow.</p><p>Both of you backtracked back down the hall, stopping again at the junction between the staircase and door. This time, Carlos walked toward the door and you followed.</p><p>The room was pitch black with low red lighting falling from another doorway. You nearly tripped, reaching out blindly to grab a hold of Carlos's vest. He laughed as your fingers gripped tightly to the harsh material. The outline of his head turned back to look at you.</p><p>"Already falling for me?" Amusement poured from his voice and you felt your face burn.</p><p>"Sorry. Sorry," You murmured, ducking your head.</p><p>He laughed again, the sound deep and rich.</p><p>"Don't worry about it. Hold onto me as long as you need to," He reassured you, no hint of teasing in his voice.</p><p>That stupidly ridiculous warm feeling from earlier returned with a vengeance. You hummed softly, trying to push the feeling down and keeping your hand on Carlos.</p><p>He moved forward towards the door with the poor light. Your eyes adjusted to the dark enough to see the words engraved in the wall next to the doorway.</p><p>Darkroom.</p><p>It must have been where they published crime photos and anything else they needed. You would have thought it was cooler to see if it weren't in these circumstances.</p><p>Carlos walked in and flipped a switch, turning the light from a pale red to bright white. Shadows receded to the corners as everything suddenly became visible.</p><p>On the far left wall was a sink with photos hanging on strings above it. In front of you was a counter with rolls and cameras and other things you guessed would be used to develop the photos.</p><p>You released Carlos from your grip as he walked forward, staying back to look around a little more. From your peripheral, Carlos stopped by one of the cameras, lowering his gun to use a hand to pick it up.</p><p>"If cameras killed those things, I'd be set."</p><p>You couldn't help the giggle that came out of your mouth. It was just so similar to the earlier comment that you made and the way he said it made it entirely impossible for a smile not to spread across your face.</p><p>Carlos glanced at you curiously.</p><p>With a grin, you said, "I'm sorry, it's just that I said something similar earlier, just with books."</p><p>He smiled back at you, putting the camera down.</p><p>"Is that so? Well, great minds think alike, huh?"</p><p>You laughed again, shaking your head amicably. As he walked by you, he patted your shoulder with a warmth in his gaze that almost made you feel as if things were normal. They weren't, you knew, but it almost felt like it for just those few seconds.</p><p>But as soon as you stepped back out into the dark hallway, it faded back into the usual fear and worry. The walk back to the second floor was quiet and tense, mainly in part to the fact you never knew if there was going to be another zombie around the corner. Luckily enough for the both of you, there was only one and Carlos dispatched it quick enough that you didn't have to worry about it eating you alive.</p><p>You continued up the stairs until you got to the second floor. Instead of going any higher, Carlos followed in his earlier footsteps and headed towards the blocked hallway again.</p><p>You allowed Carlos to lead you to a door just off to the side.</p><p>When it creaked open, it revealed a locker room. The smell hit you first. A thick, coying scent of death that burned your nose. Your eyes watered and acidic bile trailed up your throat. Carlos seemed to fair better, walking in with a steel face. You grimaced but followed, careful not to breathe too much.</p><p>Lockers surrounded the walls, some were locked and others thrown open. Pieces of clothes were scattered across the benches. Knocked toiletries rolled around the floor when your feet hit them.</p><p>You noticed a piece of yellow paper between the cracks of one of the benches. Slipping your fingers into the space, you grabbed a hold of it and pulled it out.</p><p>Within the first paragraph, you immediately regretted your decision. Though whoever wrote it had given valuable information about a bomb in the locker room, they had done so at the price of their life. They knew they were dying and decided to lock themselves in a locker to keep from infecting others. What made your heart break was the fact they kept mentioning their friend Hector and how he needed to get out.</p><p>Tears sprung to your eyes as you kept reading. Sorrow gripped tightly around your heart and squeezed until it felt like it was going to burst.</p><p>You had a feeling that Hector wasn't going to read this note. That he'd never know that his friend was thinking about him in his last moments. That in the locker across from you, he was probably dead or turned.</p><p>Your throat closed and you began to choke on a sob.</p><p>Carlos turned at the noise, taking one glance at the note before hugging you with his free arm.</p><p>"Hey, it's okay. It's okay," he soothed.</p><p>But it wasn't okay. It was not fucking okay. Nothing was alright.</p><p>You sniffed, allowing yourself a few moments of comfort before wiping away your eyes. Carlos squeezed you tightly one more time and flashed a sympathetic smile. Only when he made sure that you were okay to follow did he head further into the locker room, where the showers were.</p><p>As you turned the corner, you saw the bomb mentioned in the note. It clung to a weakened, tiled wall that looked like one good explosion would knock it down. Carlos caught a glance of the bomb and muttered, "Guess we'll be doing this the explody way."</p><p>You stayed where you were in the doorway, watching as he walked up and pulled something out of one of the pockets in his vest. What looked like a battery was shoved into the back of the bomb before being stuck back on the wall. Buttons clicked quietly as he pressed something on it<br/>A rapid beeping clashed against the air.</p><p>Carlos sprinted over, grabbing your wrist and pulling you behind one of the shower walls. He covered your body with his own as the wall exploded beside you. Pieces of cement and tile skidded across the floor. Dust thickened the air, grating against your tongue and mouth.</p><p>A chorus of moans rose through the air as figures cut through the thick dust.</p><p>Zombies.</p><p>"Stay here," Carlos ordered, getting up with his gun raised. The familiar sound of his assault rifle drummed in your ears.</p><p>It was a noise you were beginning to hate.</p><p>You curled in on yourself, waiting for it to end.</p><p>"One at a time, take a number."</p><p>You would have laughed if he wasn't shooting at a whole conga line of zombies waiting to bite into his flesh. All it did was make you duck further into the corner as panic swelled in the center of your chest. Unease brewed just beneath the surface of your body. Short rapid gasps slipped out as your earlier fear rose up.</p><p>Keep your cool. Panicking meant becoming a nuisance. It would help neither you nor Carlos to do that.</p><p>You dug your nails into the skin of your palms, relishing how the biting pain grounded you. With a deep breath out, you peeked around the corner. Most of the zombies were gone. Only a few remained but it seemed that they refused to die. Each time Carlos put a bullet into them, they stumbled back before recovering and moving forward again.</p><p>"Man it sucks to be popular," Carlos groaned, shooting the zombies again.</p><p>You only watched as he finished the last of the undead. When it looked as if no more would come, you stood, brushing the dust off your clothes.</p><p>Carlos waited for you to finish before, pushing forward into what looked like a laundry room. Carefully, both of you stepped over the bodies and towards the door.</p><p>On top of what you felt after the note, it made your heart bleed to see that most, if not all, the zombies wore police uniforms. You knew that it was possible to spread whatever sickness this was fast but you hadn't realized that it could consume an entire police force. People who had homes and families.</p><p>A lump got caught in your throat as you squeezed your eyes shut.</p><p>No time for that. Focus.</p><p>You opened your eyes again, moving forward with Carlos. As soon as the door opened, a gravelly hiss broke the air. One that sounded all too familiar to you by now.</p><p>Slowly, your eyes trailed up to the ceiling.</p><p>Another one of those things clung above your heads. Its fleshy brain glistened and oozed as it tipped its head towards you. A long, rolling tongue slipped past a mouth full of teeth, inching towards you and Carlos.</p><p>"Carlos," You muttered, backing away.</p><p>He looked up just as it lunged. But unlike last time, he dodged and threw a punch at the creature, knocking it back. It whined lowly before righting itself and snarling angrily. Carlos raised his gun and fired a barrage of bullets into its head.</p><p>To say that the creature's head basically exploded was an understatement. Pieces of brain were flung onto the walls as the bullets shoved themselves into the squishy skin. Blood splattered the ground as the body collapsed in a pool of red.</p><p>Carlos fired one more bullet into the pink and red misshapen creature before moving on down the hallway. When you were right behind him, Carlos pushed open a door to your left, leveling his gun into the room.</p><p>His gaze swept from left to right, searching. When he found that nothing was there, he relaxed and waved you in.</p><p>You followed.</p><p>The office was well lived in, you could tell. And it was like it was frozen in time.</p><p>Everything was neat and in order. Well, some things were. Each desk varied as you walked past them. Some desks had files stacked off to the side and their pens placed precisely. Even the keyboards and computers were well-kept and clean of dust. Other desks were covered with boxes filled with books and coffee mugs and plastic plants. One desk had a leather jacket hanging next to it with a white guitar leaning on the wall underneath.</p><p>Off to the side, the wall was decorated in medals and on the other side was a huge plaque with S.T.A.R.S engraved in it.</p><p>S.T.A.R.S?</p><p>You'd felt like you'd heard of them before. Hm, perhaps a special unit of the R.P.D? You weren't really sure. It seemed like you did remember seeing a poster about them but before you could recall it, the sound of someone's voice, definitely not Carlos's, broke your train of thought and you glanced up.</p><p>Carlos was leaning one of the desks, gloved hands splayed and wavy hair falling onto his forehead as he watched a computer screen. You couldn't see who it was but you could hear them harshly berating the man in front of them.</p><p>Heavy annoyance rose up in your chest. You had half a mind to let whoever it was have it because Carlos really didn't deserve that. (Honestly, the nerve of some people.)</p><p>Your mouth began to open when someone else walked through the door, temporarily distracting you and drawing your attention to them.</p><p>Another man dressed nearly identical to Carlos paused in the door. His dark skin glittered with sweat and the dim lights reflected off his bald head. The lenses in his glasses flashed as he briefly glanced at you and then Carlos. When he caught wind of what was being said, he began to march forward.</p><p>Carlos noticed the entrance, holding up a hand in a silent signal to stop. The man once again paused, watching the scene curiously. You watched the two (partners?) carefully, listening to the last little bit of the conversation.</p><p>"I am the only one who knows how to make the vaccine to stop the zombies!"</p><p>A cure to stop the zombies? What the hell?</p><p>You tuned back in to hear what you would almost describe as a fearful pause. Then, it was shattered by the next words said.</p><p>"So you can either sit there with your dick in your hand or send - send somebody's who's capable of getting me the hell out of here!"</p><p>A loud clack from the computer sent Carlos standing straight up, staring at the screen with what seemed like a weary expression.</p><p>"I like him already," the other man remarked jestfully, almost sarcastically.</p><p>Carlos peered up at him, face still pulled in a frown.</p><p>"Yeah, you would." He bent down to retrieve his gun from where it leaned against the desk, turning to face the other guy. "You heard what Dr. Bard said. We can't turn him over the company."</p><p>So, was that his mission? To turn whoever was on the other side of the screen to whoever he worked for? Did he know what was going on? Yet, you felt that your questions were only going to go unanswered as the two stared each other down.</p><p>"That's not our call to make," The man answered, suddenly sober. "That's Mikhail's call."</p><p>You watched Carlos's back tense as he slipped past him to go to the same computer.</p><p>"I'm gonna check the computer and see if I can trace the doc's location."</p><p>Carlos turned back around with his lips pulled into a straight line as an unreadable emotion flashed through his eyes. But he kept quiet, watching the other guy lean down to tap at the keypad. His partner's eyes remained glued to the screen as he added, "This'll take some time. Look around, see if you can find anything useful."</p><p>Carlos grunted but began his search of the room. You kept quiet, staying in your corner.</p><p>"Carlos told me you jumped one of those things and saved his life."</p><p>You looked up quickly to see the man still typing away but the words he said were addressed to you. Anxiety pooled in your stomach. You forced yourself to answer him.</p><p>"Yeah. I um, that would be me."</p><p>You gave a quiet, nervous laugh, playing with the cuff of your sweater. He cut a glance toward you, the left side of his mouth pulling up in an almost smile. Carlos's partner didn't respond after that, eyes returning to the screen as his glasses lenses flashed blue and white.</p><p>Relief flooded your body and you leaned back against the desk behind you, blowing out a sigh.</p><p>Your mind went back to thinking about what you'd heard.</p><p>It seemed Carlos and his partner had some idea or at least knew people who did know, what was going on. If they did, what hadn't he told you? Why were you in the dark? You couldn't help the sour feelings that sunk into your gut.</p><p>Carlos was a good guy. He had saved your life and he had been sympathetic to your situation. Anything he did was for your protection, right? But the argument didn't feel solid as you thought about it.</p><p>It broke apart even further when you remembered everyone who had died in just the police department alone.</p><p>Stop. You couldn't allow yourself such thoughts and you certainly weren't going to entertain them. You pushed it to the back of your mind just in time to hear Carlos answer his radio.</p><p>"Yeah, what's up?"</p><p>You didn't really pay attention to it until his tone became urgent and loud.</p><p>Glancing up, you saw him backing away from the door. When he turned back towards you and his partner, his face was tightened with worry.</p><p>"-was anyone hurt?"</p><p>You only caught the back end of whatever he was saying but it sounded serious. To the point that even you were beginning to worry.</p><p>When you glanced over at the other guy, he was looking up intently, fingers frozen on the keys.</p><p>"Jill?" He stated like he already knew who Carlos was talking to.</p><p>Jill was alive?</p><p>Joy swelled in your heart and relief swept through, putting you at ease. Jill wasn't dead and you hadn't left her for dead.</p><p>This time, you weren't running away. You were going to find her. You were going to help her.</p><p>You bit your bottom lip, tugging it between your teeth and chewing as you watched Carlos.</p><p>Said man ducked his head even further as he mumbled, "Ah, shit."</p><p>But the next thing that happened had anxiety storming through you.</p><p>Carlos's face paled, fear scrunching up his features.</p><p>"Jill? Jill, what happened?"</p><p>Time stood still for a few seconds as absolute horror entered his dark eyes. His voice was full of dread as he cried, "Jill, come in!"</p><p>You knew by the way his body tensed and coiled that he got no answer. You only had time to blink before he was walking away.</p><p>"T, I gotta go."</p><p>Something in his voice insisted that what he just said wasn't a request, but a demand. His partner, or T, didn't seem to take offense.</p><p>"Do what you gotta, I'll take care of Bard."</p><p>Carlos moved to open the door and you began to follow him. After all, you couldn't let him go alone, especially if Jill was involved. She helped save your life too and you <em>needed</em> to repay that debt doing whatever it took to get to her. But when Carlos heard your footsteps, he stopped, whirling to stare down at you.</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"</p><p>You were taken back by the deadly serious demeanor. Swallowing thickly, you answered, "With you."</p><p>"Not a chance," Carlos immediately shot down.</p><p>Conflict rippled through your body as you tried to decide whether or not you would be better off listening to him. But as much as you wanted to, you couldn't leave Jill. Not again.</p><p>"I'm not letting you go alone. I have to go. Just please let me go with you."</p><p>You hated to admit that you were on the edge of begging.</p><p>"No."</p><p>You tried again.</p><p>"Please. I promise I won't get in the way. I promise-"</p><p>" I said <em>no</em>!" He reprimanded. "You stay here."</p><p>You recoiled back, wilting under his scolding. Hot tears began to water along your lashes as you turned away, trying to hide your face. You knew it was stupid to act this way. His reasoning was sound but... the thought of him leaving you bothered you far more than it should have. Especially when you could have been out there helping him find Jill.</p><p>Somewhere off to your side, Carlos sighed and his footsteps approached you. He made it a point to get in your line of sight, putting one hand on your shoulder and looking you in the eyes.</p><p>"Look, I promise I'll be back. Just stay here with Tyrell, he'll keep you safe."</p><p>You searched his gaze, looking for any sign of a lie. But the only thing you found in his dark brown depths was sincerity. He meant what he said.</p><p>Very, very reluctantly, you nodded. Some of the somberness left his features as the corners of his mouth tugged up.</p><p>"Alright. I'll be back soon."</p><p>He stood up, looking at Tyrell over your head.</p><p>"Keep an eye on her, alright?"</p><p>Tyrell kept his gaze on the computer as he said, "You got it."</p><p>Carlos nodded once and jogged to the door. He paused in the door frame, glancing at you one more time, and then he was gone.</p><p>Despite the hurt and discord rolling around your heart, you had your mind made up. As the door clicked shut, you knew you were going after Carlos.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys, I am so sorry this took so long. I have been super busy and dealing with other things. I again want to thank you guys for all the love you have given this story it just means a lot to me 💕. Next update, I'll try and give you two chapters. Hopefully. Anyways, until next time ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Silence swept through the office as you kept watching the door and Tyrell kept his focus on the computer. Beforehand, you gladly took the silence because it meant that you were not forced to speak. But now, it only served to make the worry you had for Jill and Carlos a thousand times worse. A million scenarios passed through your mind, each worse than the last.</p><p>Anxiously, you began to pace as your body sprung tight like a coil, nerves strung high.</p><p>Tyrell must have caught a glimpse of what you were doing because he spoke up and said, "You're gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up."</p><p>You froze, red creeping up your neck and face.</p><p>"Sorry," You muttered, embarrassed.</p><p>"Look, I know you're worried about Carlos. He can hold his own. So can Jill."</p><p>Didn't he realize that just saying it didn't actually make you feel better? If you weren't there, then how could you know? Yeah, you'd seen Carlos kick some major butt earlier but you were there for that. And now that he was gone, you couldn't help but stress. He had saved you, comforted you. Looked after you. You felt an obligation to return the favor but you couldn't do that if you were stuck with Tyrell. Which brought you back to what you were originally thinking before you got off track.</p><p>You paused, making Tyrell look up at you. It was like a light bulb had gone off in your head.</p><p>You did your best impression of needing to pee: legs squeezed together and a pinched expression.</p><p>"I really, really need to go to the bathroom," You said, looking at him.</p><p>Tyrell stood up straight, giving you his full attention. His dark eyes peered at you through the lenses of his glasses, long enough that you thought he was about to call your bluff when he sighed.</p><p>"Alright. Let me finish up here."</p><p>You bit back a grin as he lowered himself to the computer screen, typing at the keyboard a few minutes more. A ding rang out and he stood up, satisfied.</p><p>"There. Come on. The faster we leave, the faster we can get to Carlos and Jill."</p><p>You knew he was only saying it for your benefit but he wouldn't have to worry about you for long.</p><p>He passed you to open the door and head out into the hallway, looking back at you expectantly.</p><p>You followed after, flashing him a grateful smile.</p><p>Both of you moved back towards the left side of the hall. You knew that coming to the room, you definitely did <em>not</em> go that way. So it surprised you when he opened a door to the end of the hall, taking you into a little side room that led to a huge library.</p><p>It had seen better days but it was still impressive. You wondered what it would have been like back when it was a museum. That though could be thought about for later days. Getting to Carlos and Jill came first.</p><p>You remained quiet as Tyrell lead you down the old wooden stairs, towards another door. Just as his booted feet left the last step, a growl came off to the right and a zombie practically threw itself at him. He raised up his rifle, firing at the creature.</p><p>You felt guilty for what you were about to do but you had to do it.</p><p>As Tyrell shot at the zombie, you bolted towards the door and shoved it open. He shouted behind you but there was nothing he could do as you ran out. The lobby from before was spread out below you. Quickly, you jogged down the hall and down the wraparound stairs to get to the oak double doors.</p><p>Your echoing footsteps were the only noise as you put one hand up to the cool doorknob. Pausing a moment, you couldn't help but feel that for all its chaos and death, the police station was still a safe place to be. Out in the streets, there was no haven. It was dangerous and haunting with nothing to save you out there.</p><p><em>Don't do it. If you get hurt out there, </em><em>it's</em><em> over. You'll be eaten</em>, your brain logically scolded.</p><p>Your heart, on the other hand, begged you to go out, to go after Carlos and Jill. They had saved your life almost at the cost of their own.</p><p>Your hand was already pulling at the door before you could think about it.</p><p>The cool night breeze drifted across your face as you stepped out fully, door slamming shut behind you.</p><p>You weren't going to lie, you were afraid. You were more scared than you had ever been in your life, but you had to do it. You had to.</p><p>With a trembling breath out, you walked out the side gate and into the city streets. Zombies were milling around everywhere. The scene caused your heart to jump in your throat. Okay, zombies were slow. You were fast. You could dodge them. As quickly and as carefully as you could, you weaved through the crashed cars and zombies, nearly crying at some of the close calls.</p><p>You were about halfway down the street from the police station when you realized something.</p><p>You didn't actually know where Carlos was going. And you didn't even think to ask.</p><p>You groaned.</p><p>What an idiot you were.</p><p>Alright. You could figure this out. It wasn't a complete disaster. Carlos had talked about Dr. Bard and you remembered how he said he could make a cure. That meant he would have to be somewhere with plenty of supplies and a sterile environment. Where would that be?</p><p>Chewing your bottom lip, you tried to think of a place before it finally hit you.</p><p>The hospital.</p><p>Everything he needed would be there.</p><p>You smiled to yourself, happy that you could at least do one thing right.</p><p>Okay, now to just try and remember where it was in the city. But you'd only ever been there once for a broken arm when you were a kid and your memory of it was hazy.</p><p>While you stood thinking, a few zombies had begun to stumble your way. When you caught sight of them, you were more than happy to take your chance with the blurry details. Quickly, you sprinted away, taking the main road. Unfortunately, that just led to more zombies. You ran to the alleyways, hoping that would make them lose your trail.</p><p>You hit one alley, dipping underneath the lunging zombies. Desperately, you hoped that it would lead out somewhere because you were severely screwed if it didn't. Luckily enough, you spotted a gate sandwiched between two brick buildings. It was about ten feet in height. High enough that a person couldn't climb over easily but they could still scale it if necessary.</p><p>As you jogged closer, you could see that parts of the fence had rusted apart, causing little thorn-like pieces to stick out.</p><p>You grimaced, hoping you wouldn't have to do that. You could just take the door, right?</p><p>You stepped closer, pulling lightly at the handle to no avail.</p><p>Locked.</p><p>Great. Just great.</p><p>You started to backtrack when you heard low moans from behind. And they were way closer than you would have liked.</p><p>You turned around just in time to see someone duck into the shadows across the street.</p><p>"Hey! Hey, please help me!" You called, gripping onto the metal fence so tightly it bit into your fingers.</p><p>The person paused, turning to look at you before strolling across the street to you. As they got closer, you could make out a uniform identical to Carlo's and Tyrell's. Relief flooded your chest. Maybe they could help you.</p><p>Brilliant white hair was the first thing you noticed as they stepped into the streetlight next to the alleyway entrance. Cold, calculating pale eyes were next. It shocked you just how uncaring he looked.</p><p>"Please, help! The zombies are coming and the gate's locked!"</p><p>The man stepped up closer, humming as he looked between the locked gate and the approaching undead.</p><p>When he finally spoke, his accent was Russian. The tone was so ice cold, it almost made you shiver.</p><p>"Suppose I do unlock this gate, hm? Then the zombies get out and they kill us both."</p><p>You could feel your heart sink to your stomach. Dread reared its ugly little head as you so desperately hoped he wasn't about to do what you thought he was about to do.</p><p>"But if I leave you, then I walk away alive."</p><p>His grin was sharp as a knife as he began to back away.</p><p>"No," You begged. "No, no, no."</p><p>You rattled the fence uselessly, shouting, "Come back! Please!"</p><p>"Sorry, but self-preservation comes first. You understand."</p><p>No, you didn't. But he didn't wait for a response, sending a two-finger salute before heading back to where he was. Seconds later, he vanished into the shadows.</p><p>"You asshole!" You screamed into the empty air.</p><p>You were screwed. You were so, so screwed.</p><p>Maybe if you ran fast enough, you could get out of this tiny one-way alley. Unfortunately for you, luck wasn't on your side. The group of zombies had already blocked your exit.</p><p>Blood pounded in your ears as your heart raced in your chest. All the air fled your lungs and it became more and more difficult to breathe. Icy numbness crept up, swallowing your body in a wintery chill.</p><p>You knew you needed to move but you couldn't think, you couldn't act. You were terrified.</p><p>Your mind screamed at you to run, to climb the fence. You finally listened, taking off towards the metal gate. Quickly, your fingers hooked around the thin metal strands, careful of the pieces sticking out, and pulled yourself up as fast as you could.</p><p>You were more than halfway up the fence when the fabric of your legging caught on something. In your rush to climb quickly, you inadvertently pushed your leg into it and jerked up. Immediately, you cried out in pain. The skin of your thigh split as one of the twisted pieces of metal sticking out from the fence ripped through the flesh. As you glanced down through teary eyes, blood steadily leaked from the jagged wound and dripped down your gray leggings. Carefully, you moved your injured leg away from the metal, whimpering.</p><p>Adrenaline was the only thing that kept the pain from completely invading your mind as you finished the climb up. When you got to the top, you pulled yourself up, slinging your good leg over the metal beam first. You started to heave yourself over the other side when the mob of zombies finally caught up, slamming into the fence. You wobbled from side to side before finally losing your balance, body tipping as you fell. Agony exploded in your back as you smacked against the cement sidewalk, crying out. Along with the bleeding gash on your thigh, your body screamed with torment. Tears watered the corners of your eyes as you listened to the fence rattle aggressively. The zombies snapped and screeched as they tried to poke their limbs through the holes to get to you.</p><p>"Yeah, fuck you guys," You gasped, chest aching painfully.</p><p>You couldn't help the tears that slipped out as you turned your head back to the dark sky. You couldn't see the stars because of how much smoke the fires had produced. It was almost as if the night sky was suffocated and smothered. Just like how you felt right now. Stifled by the knowledge that no matter where you went, more of those things would pop up. They were endless. You weren't. And now that you were injured, you had created even more of a liability to yourself.</p><p>You thought that you could brave the streets and maybe, just maybe, find Carlos and Jill. But now you were laying on the cold sidewalk bleeding from a wound you caused and in pain from the fall. You were especially naive to think that that guy was going to save you like some knight in shining armor.</p><p>You were pathetic. Really, really pathetic.</p><p>Crestfallen at the revelation, you slowly picked yourself up as the tears tracked down your face, wincing every few seconds, and began limping away from the fence, ignoring the howls from behind you.</p><p>You only had enough strength to get yourself to a nearby building that wasn't boarded up or the windows were smashed. Ducking inside, you saw it was a convenience store. Though most everything was bare, there were a few things still left. A few bottles of whiskey shined dully in the poor light. You once heard the alcohol could be used to clean a wound. You really hoped that it wasn't just an old wives' tale.</p><p>Sluggishly, you made your way over and grabbed a bottle off the shelf before limping through the aisles. An opened box of elastic bandages was on the next aisle over and you decided it grab it too.</p><p>Through blurred vision, you took a couple of staggering steps behind the register where you slid down the wall, careful not to hurt yourself more than you had.</p><p>You broke the seal on the whiskey bottle, staring at the gleaming amber liquid through watery eyes before taking a sip. The cheap taste burned the back of your throat. More new tears popped up as you glared at the bottle. Great. Couldn't even get good whiskey in the zombie apocalypse.</p><p>You hiccuped a sigh and tipped the whiskey bottle, pouring the liquid on your thigh.</p><p>A hiss scraped between your teeth as the alcohol burned the cut like fire. Pain roared through every vein and nerve. A low whine slipped out involuntarily as you hunched over. You could taste the salty tears on your lips as you took the elastic bandages you'd found and wrapped them tightly around the wounds to the point that it throbbed painfully. You knew that it was for the best though. You weren't risking infection or worse, becoming a zombie.</p><p>You sat back to look at the patch-up job.</p><p>The bandages just barely covered the cut. Blood and alcohol were already soaking the cloth through. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do for now. That was if you could find the proper supplies, you thought harshly.</p><p>With a quiet sniffle, you leaned your head back and closed your eyes, accepting a truth that cut deep.</p><p>You were too weak and you made a huge mistake leaving Tyrell.</p><p>You were probably going to die in this hellhole.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wHx6vQNeuFE</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a while, at least a couple hours, before you forced yourself to get up. The cut on your thigh pulsed with agony, reminding you that it was still there. A muffled grunt of discomfort slipped out of your mouth as you leaned against the wall to steady yourself.</p><p>Your leg wasn't hurting as much as before but every movement still jostled it, sending tingles of pain down through the muscles. Unfortunately, you'd have to take the slow route now.</p><p>You turned to leave when a silver glint underneath the register caught your attention. Curious, you turned and limped over, kneeling with a wince to get a closer look.</p><p>It was a metal baseball bat.</p><p>You guessed that whoever owned the store probably kept it for protection but they weren't around to use it anymore. You grabbed it, turning the cool metal over in your hands.</p><p>It wasn't a gun, but it would do for keeping the occasional zombie off of you. Hopefully.</p><p>Gripping onto the counter, you pulled yourself up and slowly made your way out of the store again.</p><p>You continued where you left off, following the streets as you tried to remember which way to get to the hospital. But it felt like a maze that kept going round and round and round. Finally, you had to stop in the middle of a street to gather your thoughts. As you did, you finally got a chance to look at Raccoon City, like really look.</p><p>Your heart clenched in distress. You barely recognized your home anymore. Everything was burning or cracked or collapsed into a pile of rubble. </p><p>For the first time since you'd left your apartment, you stopped to wonder just who could have done this. Who would sacrifice all these lives? Who could have made something so awful, so horrible? It scared you to know that you couldn't answer that. But whoever it was, they were monsters. And they deserved to burn in the deepest part of hell.</p><p>A faint burning began behind your eyes and you could feel the tears welling up. You couldn't find it within yourself to push down the heartbreak. But the hand grabbing at your forearm certainly did.</p><p>You whirled around as the tears ran down your cheeks.</p><p>A zombie had a hold of you, bloody fingers digging into the wool of your sweater. Dirty strands of brown hair were slicked to a gray forehead as cracked, yellow teeth clacked together in preparation for what was to come. The flesh of its nose and left cheek was disintegrated down to dark red muscles and bone.</p><p>A scream got caught in your throat as you dropped the baseball bat to use both hands to push against the soft, rotting flesh of its chest. That did nothing to dissuade the zombie from trying to bring you closer. The inhuman strength it had was nothing compared to your own flimsy muscles. The strain on your wounded leg made it buckle in pain, bringing you down to one knee as you cried. Your arms began to give and you could see the inches shorten little by little.</p><p>You wanted to cry. You wanted to scream. You wanted to give up. </p><p>You were going to die.</p><p>But as the stench of nauseating dead flesh burned your nose, something within you shattered into a million pieces. Somewhere in your mind, you decided you were done being a crybaby. You weren't going to sit around and hope for someone else to come along and save you. Most importantly, you decided you weren't fucking dying today.</p><p>With the last of your strength, you pushed your hands against the zombie's torso and shoved it away just as it tried to bite.</p><p>Its bloodied teeth chomped down on air harshly as it stumbled back a few steps, moaning. But like the mindless machine it was, the undead thing was already making its way back to you.</p><p>You rushed to your feet, picking the fallen bat off the ground and swinging it.</p><p>The metal cracked against the side of the zombie's skull with a horrible crunching noise. It fell to the ground with a faint groan but you had no pity. You swung the bat again.</p><p>Blood flung against the concrete and surrounding buildings. Your shoes as well as your leggings were becoming spotted but still, you didn't stop. Not until there was nothing left of its face except for a pile of mushed up brains, flesh, and blood. Only then did you lower the bat and step back.</p><p>Your chest rose and fell violently. Sweat dribbled down the back of your neck as your heart pounded in your chest. Fear, though, was nowhere to be found. Like a switch that had been flipped, your terror had become anger.</p><p>You had enough!</p><p>Fuck this city with its zombies. Fuck being afraid. Fuck the shitheads who did all of this. You were going to live and you were damn sure going to survive this hellhole. If not for you, then only to find Carlos and Jill.</p><p>You used the arm of your sweater to wipe at your forehead before straightening. With the bat clutched tightly between your fingers, you moved on further into the city. Most of the streets were blocked, forcing you to use alleyways or more unconventional routes. Some of which had zombies stumbling around in them. But that didn't stop you. Though you still felt the lingering anxiety at the sight of each undead person, you dispatched them hastily and left them lying in the street with dark blood trailing from their decomposing corpses. </p><p>Finally, you made it to a semi-clear road and kept to it.</p><p>All sorts of debris littered the black tar ribbon. Shoes, wallets, purses, phones. Anything and everything had been left in the rush for everyone to get away. To be fair, you wouldn't be worrying much about useless things either if you were being chased by zombies.</p><p>Speaking of which, you really needed to be focused on watching for those.</p><p>There were a few here and there but nothing like the whole mobs from earlier that you knew were running around the city. Not that you afraid like you were but you still needed to be careful. One wrong move and you could be easily overwhelmed. Especially since you had an injured leg.</p><p>Instincts on high alert, you continued down the road and further into town. The road suddenly narrowed and curved off into two, separate smaller roads. One led further into the city while the other led into a series of back parking lots and alleyways. In the distance of that road, a clock tower loomed into the night sky. The white oval of the clock face winked at you.</p><p>Hm, well. </p><p>You could go straight into the heart of the city and risk getting killed. Or, you could walk towards the clock tower and hope many people hadn't been infected in the alleyways and left to rot.</p><p>The clock tower definitely sounded better.</p><p>You marched down the pavement, keeping an eye out. But luckily, there was nothing. Well, not nothing exactly. Actual dead bodies and abandoned cars just didn't count. But the loud echo coming from the alley to your left did.</p><p>Your resolve tightened as did your fingers around the base of the bat.</p><p>Quietly, you made your way to one of the buildings next to the entrance, putting your back against the cold brick. For a second, you closed your eyes and felt fear invade every single part of your body. But then Jill and Carlo's face appeared in your mind and the fear was replaced with determination.</p><p>With a slow breath out, you turned the corner with your bat raised..... and froze.</p><p>"Carlos? Jill?" You murmured out, shocked.</p><p>Carlos had one of Jill's arms wrapped around his neck with her body sitting up limply. Dried vomit and form stained one corner of her mouth and chin while a pool of blood rested underneath her. Skin that was as pale as the moon was traced with lines as dark as the night. Her chest rose and fell shallowly as the occasional moan of pain darkened her voice.</p><p>You rushed over, dropping the bat to help Carlos with Jill. The breath got caught in your throat as worry overran every sense in your body. </p><p>In the arm wrapped around Carlos was a puncture hole. Blood and infection dribbled out as you realized what was wrong with her.</p><p>Jill was infected.</p><p>You wanted to ask what had happened, what was wrong. But there was no time. Jill was dying and she needed help.</p><p>"What's the plan, Carlos?" You asked, looking up at him with steeled eyes and a firm grimace.</p><p>"We need to get her to the hospital. Dr. Bard, he can-"</p><p>"Get the vaccine," You finished.</p><p>With a curt nod, you helped him maneuver Jill onto his back with her arms dangling over his shoulder.</p><p>"Alright, lead the way and I'll keep you safe," You urged, coming to stand beside him with the bat.</p><p>Carlos nodded and began jogging in the direction you had come from. He navigated through the city streets with ease as you took out any zombies who got close. A few times, you caught him looking at you with an expression of shocked impression. You pushed it to the back of your mind and continued to protect him and Jill.</p><p>When you finally arrived at the hospital, Carlos kicked the door open, eyes rapidly looking any and everywhere until they landed on a set of double doors. He rushed over, shoving the doors open and entering the room. You followed, keeping an eye out for any zombies. Strangely enough, you didn't see any. That made your stomach churn anxiously but you pushed it down, striding to the room Carlos and Jill were in.</p><p>Carlos had moved Jill from his back to a bed next to the door. In the lighting, you could see just how bad she'd gotten.</p><p>Her skin was even paler if that was possible. The lines you now recognized as her veins were even more prominent. Yellow puss dripped from the hole in her arm, bubbling disgustingly. Once smooth features were scrunched in pain, teeth gritting in her sleep.</p><p>There wasn't much time left.</p><p>"Alright, let's find Dr. Bard," You spoke, turning to leave.</p><p>"No, you need to stay here. It's safer here and I need someone to look after Jill," He answered, voice leaving no room for argument.</p><p>Oh hell no. He wasn't doing this again.</p><p>You whirled around, a fire in your eyes that wasn't there before.</p><p>"No! I am not going to let you do this alone," You hissed. "Jill will be fine here. You said it yourself, it's safe here. I can't say that for the rest of the hospital. What if you get overrun because you went by yourself? Then Jill dies and I die."</p><p>Carlos opened his mouth to retort when Jill gave a low groan and threw her head to the side, sweat glistening on her forehead.</p><p>For a few seconds, he stared at you with a conflicted scowl before sighing.</p><p>"Alright," he conceded. "You can come. But you have to take this. If we get overrun, that bat won't do much good."</p><p>He took the pistol from its place in the holster on his leg and handed it to you. No hesitation crossed your face as you grabbed it, careful not to pull the trigger.</p><p>You'd never used a gun before, never needed a reason to. But now you had no choice. You were going to have to learn and fast.</p><p>"Alright, just point and shoot, right?" You asked, turning the gun in your hands into what you thought was the right way.</p><p>Carlos glimpsed at what you were doing and immediately walked over.</p><p>"Hold it like this," He said, gliding his hands across yours to correct your form. "And keep it pointed up when you're not shooting. Less chance of friendly fire."</p><p>You nodded, ignoring the warm feeling of his hands on yours.</p><p>"Okay. Let's go save Jill."</p><p>Carlos gave you one firm nod before pushing open the doors and leading you back out into the lobby.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as the two of you made it out to the lobby, Carlo's radio crackled to life. He paused momentarily to answer. It wasn't hard to guess who it was when Carlos glanced over at you with exasperation.</p><p>Tyrell.</p><p>You looked away, tightening your grip in the gun and turning your knuckles white.</p><p>You couldn't take back what you did and you certainly couldn't regret it enough. Leaving Tyrell like that was a pretty shitty move. But you strongly felt that you did what you had to.</p><p>There was no more of being this damsel in distress shit. Both Carlos and Jill had nearly given their lives for you. And both of them deserved more than you being a burden or running away scared. Which was why it was time for you to step up and do something. </p><p>You straightened your shoulders and ignored it, walking to the other set of double doors leading into the hospital. When Carlos was finished, he joined you. There was a second of silence where he looked down at you with eyes that seemed to see right down to your core. Then, he sighed and pushed forward. You followed after.</p><p>The beginning of the hallway wasn't too bad but the further you walked, the more you could see that the hospital had been affected too.</p><p>The once white walls and decayed floral-filled desks were marred with blood and gore. Corpses littered the tile flooring with red footprints surrounding them. Death was thick in the air, stirring nausea and despair in your stomach. And that was just the first room you both came to.</p><p>A handful of zombies swayed back and forth in the open room until the sound of your footsteps caught their attention. All of them rushed forward, snarling and moaning. You raised the pistol given to you but you didn't even have a chance to shoot any of them. Carlos killed them all with deadly precision. You knew it was because of Jill. The fact that neither of you knew how long she'd been infected didn't help either. It went unsaid, but you both had to hurry.</p><p>Once the room was cleared, Carlos rushed through a series of halls with you trying your best to keep up. His long strides became longer. The corners of his mouth straightened in worry each time the both of you ran into more zombies. Luckily for both of you, it wasn't long before both of you found a reception room. It was probably the only room in this hospital untouched by blood and death. Curiosity set in and you wandered from Carlos to snoop around the room. On the surface of the reception desk was an open file. Quickly and briefly, you glanced over it.</p><p>What was written in the paper made your blood run cold.</p><p>According to the nurse's report, they had noticed lots of incidents over several months concerning patients that had exhibited zombie-like symptoms. The staff was forced to take in any with those symptoms and put them in a solitary wing of the hospital. Not only that, but they were getting so many of them that they were losing places to put them. Then when they finally died, some doctors would come to take the bodies through a set of secretive doors.</p><p>It was just theory but you had a horrible feeling that the city's end began here. That somewhere deep within this hospital, someone created a deeply evil and twisted idea. And that corrupted idea had infected people and taken so many lives.</p><p>What piece of shit could do something like that?</p><p>Your nostrils flared as a heavy feeling of revolt churned your stomach. Carlos's footsteps were faint as he walked up beside you. His gaze strayed between the glowering scowl on your features and the smooth white report tucked inside the folder.</p><p>"You look like those papers just insulted you. You okay?"</p><p>You knew now wasn't the right time to bring it up but you were just so consumed by fury that you couldn't help but reply, "Someone knew about this. They knew and they fucking did it anyway. And I'm pissed off that no one said anything."</p><p>Your blood boiled as you turned your gaze to the ground, glaring daggers into your gray sneakers. </p><p>"Why would someone do this? Why would they try to play God?" You muttered angrily.</p><p>When you looked back up at Carlos, there was a troubled expression on his features. It only grew when he saw the look of hatred darkening your features. He immediately holstered the rifle on his back and gently put his hands around your upper arms. With a soft call of your name, he held your gaze, watching you with his endlessly dark eyes.</p><p>"Sometimes, people are just shitty. Other times, it starts as good intentions, and then it becomes all fucked up."</p><p>He sighed and you could see a certain understanding buried deep within the depths of his eyes. Something you knew had probably made him the man that stood before you. </p><p>With a featherlight touch, he brought both hands up from your arms and cupped your face.</p><p>"I can't promise everything is gonna be okay or that those motherfuckers will pay. But I can promise that we're in this together. Alright?"</p><p>The sincerity in his voice along with the touch of his hands on your face was enough to make all the anger melt from your body. For just a second, you closed your eyes and allowed yourself to relax into his palms. To feel the swell of warmth for him in your chest. Then when you opened your eyes, you sent him the softest, most grateful look you could manage.</p><p>"Alright. Let's go get that cure for Jill."</p><p>You nodded and he moved his hands away, grabbing his rifle again. With one last smile, he slipped past you.</p><p>The heavy weight on your shoulders felt a little lighter as you turned to follow him to the other side of the room where another set of double doors and an intercom sat. Suddenly, what sounded like an automated voice played over the room.</p><p>"Welcome to the office of Nathaniel Bard. Please state your business into the intercom."</p><p>Carlos stepped up, freeing one hand to bang on the doors.</p><p>"Dr. Bard, are you in there? I'm here to rescue you! Open the door!"</p><p>Almost immediately it replied with, "No voice match found."</p><p>Your eyebrows furrowed into confusion as Carlos paused. His face contorted in frustration and disbelief.</p><p>" 'Voice match'? What kind of sc-fi bullshit is this?"</p><p>You could hear the heat brewing in his voice as his impatience rose once again. He brushed past you as you crept closer, trying to pull at the handles. The door refused to give. A half-hearted glare was thrown its way.</p><p>As you turned, Carlos was behind the counter, picking up what looked like a tape recorder. He hummed, watching it with eyes narrowed in concentration. Finally, he slipped it into one of the many pockets on his vest.</p><p>"What's that for?" You asked, coming closer.</p><p>"If Dr. Bard isn't gonna let us in, then we'll have to find a tape of him talking. Its the only way we'll be able to get in there."</p><p>Your resolve strengthened as you nodded, readjusting your grip on the gun.</p><p>"Alright, lead the way then."</p><p>Carlos tipped his head and marched down a hallway next to the locked double doors. You followed to the end where another set of doors sat. When you were right behind him, he pushed the doors open.</p><p>Your jaw dropped in shock.</p><p>"Holy shit."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys, I'm so sorry it's been awhile. I didnt mean to disappear but I just needed some time. Now that everything is going a lot better, I'll try to update more often. Thank you guys for all the continued likes, comments, and support. It means so much to me. 💗Until next time :)</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally I finished this chapter. Sorry it took me so long. I am such a procrastinator it hurts and I should have had this out earlier but my life has been consumed by work and Baldur's Gate 3. I will say that I went ahead and wrote some of chapter 10 already so maybe it'll be out sooner than this one was. Thank you for the continued support, likes, and comments. If it wasn't for you guys, I probably wouldn't be this far long in the story or even updating. So thank you and I hope you enjoy! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was an emergency room, that much you knew. But fuck, you didn't expect for so many zombies to be standing around. </p><p>Beside you, three undead banged against the glass of a closed door, teeth knocking together with a hollowness that shook you to your core. A group of six standing around tilted their drooping heads to you as soon as the double doors slammed shut.</p><p>Your mind reacted before you could really process a thought. You lifted the pistol to the limping undead and clicked off the safety, not unlike what you had seen Carlos do before. But when you shot the gun, the feeling was so jarring it nearly got knocked from your hands. </p><p>A stream of curse words left your mouth as you tried to recover, securing a steadier, more firm grip on the gun. Carlos, seeing your struggle, jumped in and began to take them down with expert aim. It gave you a chance to finally get control over things and lift the gun once more. With your fingers wrapped tightly around it, you fired.</p><p>The bullet grazed the side of a female zombie who was approaching a little too quickly for your liking. Again, you fired the gun, ignoring the little kick as it pushed against your sweaty palms.</p><p>This time, the shot burrowed a place in the space between the zombie's chest and throat. Black blood spilled from the wound, trickling down her front in sluggish rivers. But, it didn't stop her.</p><p>A cold sweat began to dribble down your neck with every step she took towards you. You straightened up and took a breath. No time for panic, Jill needed you to stay calm. You needed yourself to stay calm. With the second to regain your thoughts gone, you squeezed the trigger and watched as the zombie's head flew back with blood splattering the zombie behind her. A low, dying groan left her decayed lips and she collapsed to the floor face first.</p><p>The zombies behind her stumbled over her corpse but kept coming.</p><p>You steadied your hands and kept going, finally finding a groove of things. Well, until you run out of ammo. And you never asked Carlos how to reload.</p><p>Shit.</p><p>There were still a few more zombies left and Carlos was trying to take care of them as best as he could. But there was only so much he could do and he had to stop to reload too. With both of you momentarily paused in your killing of the oncoming horde, they surged forward. You took several steps back when your back hit the cool metal of the double doors.</p><p>As the last few zombies stepped even closer and backed you further against the door behind you, you spotted an empty gurney a few steps to the left.</p><p>It was a risk with how close the zombies were but it was a risk you had to take.</p><p>You shoved the gun in the back of your pants and grabbed a hold of the gurney, slinging it into the zombies with as much force as you could muster. </p><p>Like a bowling ball hitting pins, they were knocked to the floor with low groans and moans. Carlos, upon realizing the time you bought him, dropped the empty mag to the floor with a muted clatter and dispatched the rest of the zombies.</p><p>A few strands of hair fell into your face as you straightened, turning to Carlos again.</p><p>"I know we're tight on time, but I need you to show me how to reload the gun."</p><p>He wasted no time in walking over and showing you, making sure you knew what you were doing before handing a few of his spares to you. Flashing a grim smile, you thanked him and reloaded the gun, turning to the only other set of doors beside the ones leading to the operation room.</p><p>The green light splashed over the both of you like a beacon, beckoning you and Carlos closer. With a shared look between the two of you, Carlos slipped in, clearing the room. You kept behind him with a watchful eye. While there wasn't a direct threat, the two of you didn't relax. You knew better than to let your guard down when zombies were running around.</p><p>As you walked further down the hall, you came to a set of stairs with a sign hanging above it. Neither one of you paid any attention as you began to ascend them. You were only a few steps in when a body dropped from above you.</p><p>A scream got caught in your as you almost tripped backward. Carlos gripped into your arm at the last second, dragging you into his side.</p><p>"Careful," he murmured, helping you straighten up.</p><p>You ignored the heat flooding to your cheeks as you nodded. The corpse's lifeless eyes watched blankly as you resumed ascending the stairs. Upon reaching the top, it was more of what you'd already seen.</p><p>Blocked hallways, bloody footsteps, the smell of death.</p><p>Carlos searched the cut off hallway before his dark eyes landed on something beside you: another set of double doors. While you weren't too keen on just walking through every door there was, it wasn't like the two of you had a choice. The hospital was like a deadly maze, one in which you had to take dangerous chances if you wanted to survive.</p><p>A cool breeze hit you in the face as the door creaked open. Above your head, the night sky was cloudy. The only light that shined down was from the bright, artificial lights built into the building itself. You stuck close to Carlos, quickly skirting around the lone dead body. A stained white coat and pressed, dirty pants told you that it was probably a doctor but you weren't getting close enough to see.</p><p>Upon entering the hospital again, another green light greeted the two of you from down a long hallway. To the left, the hall curved, and the right way was blocked with chairs and tables and a few vending machines. Well, that way was certainly out of the question.</p><p>You stepped back, catching a glance of a sign above your heads.</p><p>In the low light, two white arrows pointed in two directions, one in front of you and the other behind you. Unfortunately, you couldn't see what was printed on it from the shadows surrounding it. </p><p>You mentally shrugged. You'd come this far without using directions.</p><p>Since time was of the essence, you and Carlos quickly went off to the left and began peeking into each door. When those yielded nothing, you backtracked to where you'd first come in and went to the door with the green light.</p><p>Several dead bodies were laid out on the floor as you cracked the door open. You and Carlos shared a look before barricading the door with a nearby vending machine, tipping it over as softly as you could. It still landed on the floor with a semi loud crash though. From the room, you could hear low moans as the dead bodies became zombies. Quickly, you and Carlos moved on, ignoring the banging against the walls and metal door.</p><p>The last set of doors you came to was off to the right from where the zombie-filled room. Before you even opened the doors, there was a sour feeling in your stomach. Almost as if you knew something bad had happened in there. But you pushed it away, steeling yourself and following Carlos in.</p><p>There was a brief moment in where the hallway gave no sign of disturbance. That there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. However, when you turned the corner, that quickly changed.</p><p>Viscera and pools of red lined every corner, every inch, of the room. It was practically a massacre. You could feel bile burning the back of your throat as the smell of rot and stale blood invaded your nostrils. Even Carlos grimaced as he stepped over the lesser parts of the gore. His boots squished through some of the more unidentifiable things the further he walked into the room. You, however, stayed right where you were. </p><p>Not that you were trying to be prissy but you didn't need the smell of vomit to make it even viler than it already was. </p><p>Carlos was taking it a lot better than you because he was already at a door on the other side. You watched as he tugged in the handle before noticing something on the door. It was too dark and the object too small but whatever it was seemed important because when he was finished, he walked back over with purpose in his steps.</p><p>You stood to the side as he walked past you and back out into the hall.</p><p>When you walked out, Carlos was over on the left of the hallway overlooking the courtyard, walking over towards a part of the glass that had been busted out.</p><p>Tiny slivers of yellow tape were draped over the stone edge and dripped into the tile floor. Little glass dots twinkled in the dusky light, sparkling like makeshift stars.</p><p>Carlos holstered the rifle on his back and placed one hand on the window sill. His boots crunched on the tiny shards of glass as he leaned over to look down. Strands of dark hair brushed against his cheeks, concealing some of his features and expression. You leaned forward with a worried one.</p><p>Anxiety swirled in the center of your chest as silence descended upon the two of you. Finally, he looked back up, something along the lines of determination on his features.</p><p>"Stay right here, I'll be right back."</p><p>Drawing your mouth into a thin line, you nodded. Carlos hefted himself up and over the bloody sill, landing hard on the ground below. As your eyes watched the outline of his body wander through the dark courtyard, the hair on your arms raised.</p><p>Goosebumps formed over your entire body as you glanced behind you with furrowed brows.</p><p>You couldn't be sure, but you didn't think you were alone up here.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Announcement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sorry guys, its not an update this time. Actually, I was rereading some of my story and replaying some of the game to see where the story line went for my upcoming chapters and realized that I made some oopies. So I will be rewriting chapters 8 and 9 while also finishing up 10. Please be patient with me I promise I will do my best to get them out soon. Until then ;)</p>
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